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Tuesday, August 1, 2017

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

Can Olivia have some connection to Elsie and Frances who lived 100 years ago? Can Olivia find it?

Is the connection somewhere in the pages of the rare books in the bookshop, SOMETHING OLD, that Olivia's grandfather left her? Is it in the story she finds that leads her to believe in herself like Elsie and Frances believed in fairies?

Olivia lives in present day and finds a manuscript in her grandfather's things that refers to fairies. As she reads the manuscript and deals with her unhappy life at this time, she believes her grandmother knew Frances.

Olivia is excited that she inherited the bookshop, but doesn't know what to do with it. What decision will she make about the bookshop and her life? Will she decide to move to Ireland and run the bookshop and most importantly follow what will make her happy or marry the man that she realizes isn't the man she should marry?

We move to 1917 and visit with Elsie and Frances who are cousins and live under the same roof since Frances moved there from South Africa while her father was called to serve in the war.

Frances is a precocious child and believes she sees fairies at the beck, but no one believes her . She and Elsie get together to prove the fairies are really there, and their story becomes a sensation.

THE COTTINGLEY SECRET took a few pages for me to connect, but once I got hooked and also realized that this fairy story was famous, I couldn't stop reading.

I loved how the book went back and forth from 1917 to present day, and I truly enjoyed the secrets and connections between the characters from both time periods as they were revealed.

Who doesn't love a book that has a bookshop in it? And who doesn't love an old bookshop with secrets and memories that might help you make personal decisions and find connections?

Hazel Gaynor's books are always magical whether there is magic in them or not.

And…her books are always filled with love.

ENJOY!! 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

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...so nice to see you stopped by.
My blog began in 2010 simply because I wanted to give blogging a try and to have my own personal space to share my reviews. I loved visiting Portree, Scotland, and thought that would make a wonderful header because of the colors. It has since become my trademark. I also love polka dots and think it makes my blog, the header, and my personality come together.
My blog's goal is to introduce you to historical fiction and mystery titles and to promote the overall love of reading to everyone of all ages.
Please stop back as often as you like to see what reviews I have added to the BLOG ARCHIVE and for bookish fun and giveaways.
I hope to see you often.
ELIZABETH

In my delight with your review, I forgot to say you wrote a hell of a good review.Concise but hitting all the points and making it sound interesting to a reader.I'm surprised you haven't taken up the pen yourself!

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Ahhhhh...Scotland - July, 2010

.................Back in Scotland again this summer visiting my son...a lot of new things to see...old houses from the 1600's and quaint settings. We also went to London to see LOVE NEVER DIES...it is Andrew Lloyd Weber's sequel to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Went to the Isle of Skye...what beautiful green hills, waterfalls, sheep, mountains...just fantastic. Stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in this most adorable, remote town called Portree...check it out...the photo at the top half of my blog actually is Portree, Scotland...love Portree. Went to York, England also...very quaint as well. The only thing I didn't like was the weather...definitely not summer weather to me...I need HOT temperatures. :) Also heard the Rod Stewart concert while standing on the Royal Mile....he was at the Edinburgh Castle in a stadium-like outdoor stage and we could hear it from the street.....pretty awesome.